Convenor (CTAF):
Sophie Lalonde
Facilitator (A4):
Khanya Mashabela
Curators:
Joachim Naudts
Sofia Dati
Frida Robles Ponce
Bulumko Mbete
Bhavisha Panchia
Facilitated by A4 in partnership with the Cape Town Art Fair, the Curators’ Exchange invites practitioners embedded within their local arts ecosystems to engage in sharing curatorial strategies and experiences across contexts.
Central to the programme are the following questions: What are the conditions of artistic production on the ground in each region? How can we share knowledge systems and resources to create opportunities for collaboration and exchange?
In the first iteration of the Exchange in February 2022, five curators from Belgium, South Africa, and Mexico explored the arts ecology of Cape Town. Using the Art Fair as a first base, the curators proceeded to visit project spaces and artists’ studios, galleries and institutions, independent project environments and museums. Each visit followed a prompt or question that asked the curators to critically engage the work of art institutions and organisations in South Africa – the roles played and contributions made to artistic, cultural and public life. The exchange afforded opportunities to meander the length and breadth of the curatorial arts and generate content towards future research and collaboration.